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Cards announce opening festivities for Ballpark Village

Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III provides Cardinals' broadcaster Dan McLaughlin with a private tour and early preview of Ballpark Village

By Jenifer Langosch and Spencer Fordin
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MLB.com |

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Cardinals are a month away from their home opener at Busch Stadium, but they announced a series of events at the brand new Ballpark Village in St. Louis on Thursday.

Ballpark Village, a development adjacent to Busch Stadium that will feature several restaurants and entertainment venues, will host a series of grand opening events that begin on March 27. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony that day, and later a concert by recording artist Third Eye Blind.

"While we are still finalizing exact details, we want fans to circle some important dates," said Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III as part of an official press release on Thursday. "We are excited for everyone to finally see and experience everything that Ballpark Village has to offer."

The Cardinals have partnered with the Cordish Companies to build Ballpark Village, and the first phase of construction will be ready for Opening Day. The development will span seven city blocks of a 10-acre site just north of the stadium, expanding the ballpark experience.

Four new venues -- Cardinals Nation, FOX Sports Midwest Live!, Budweiser Brew House and Drunken Fish -- will open for lunch on March 28 at 11 a.m. CT, and Ballpark Village will host a VIP event to honor the construction workers that built the development later on that evening.

Several other venues will open in the week leading up to the Cardinals' home opener on April 7, and that day will also feature the grand opening of the Cardinals Nation Museum and Hall of Fame.

"More than a week's worth of opening festivities will highlight the multiple facets of Ballpark Village, creating tremendous excitement in the community," said Chase Martin, development director for Cordish, in an official statement. "This is a special development unlike any other in the United States."